Egg Producers Settle DOJ Price-Rigging Claims for 53 Million Eggs and $3.3 Million
Updated
Updated · Washington Monthly · Jul 2
Egg Producers Settle DOJ Price-Rigging Claims for 53 Million Eggs and $3.3 Million
3 articles · Updated · Washington Monthly · Jul 2
Summary
Cal-Maine, Hickman’s and Versova agreed to donate 53 million eggs and pay up to $3.3 million to resolve DOJ and state claims they inflated U.S. egg prices from 2022 to 2025.
DOJ said the companies manipulated Urner Barry benchmarks by coordinating bids in the spot market, paying premiums in inter-company trades and pressing the index publisher to lift quoted prices.
About 10% of eggs trade in the cash market, but many broader commercial contracts are tied to that benchmark, letting higher bids ripple through the industry as bird flu tightened supply.
Cal-Maine admitted no wrongdoing; the settlement bars sharing bidding or price strategy with rivals and requires antitrust compliance officers, policies and regular certifications.
The case lands after record egg prices and a profit windfall: Cal-Maine's 2025 net income reached $1.2 billion, up more than 300%, underscoring concerns about concentration in the egg industry.